Metro Atlanta boy turns punishment into profitable salsa business

ROSWELL, Ga. - A Roswell boy's punishment for some renegade "Fortnite" purchases has turned into something positive - and profitable.

Now 13, Tyler Sullivan is a young entrepreneur, selling his Sully's Salsa to customers across the country.

The metro Atlanta teen's business started because of one costly mistake he made when he was 10.

"I was checking my credit card statement one day and I kept seeing charges for Apple," Tyler's mom Kristen Sullivan said.

During the pandemic, like most kids stuck at home, Tyler started playing "Fortnite." He started racking up purchase after purchase using the game's V-Bucks currency.

"I said ‘Did you by any chance run up these charges?’ And he was like 'No, no, no, I didn't do that," she said.

"She got off the phone with Apple saying I was in the biggest trouble because I spent $200 on her credit card," Tyler Sullivan said.

The punishment? No electronics, and he would have to do chores to pay back his debt.

"When he finally cleaned the sink he was like 'No more chores. I need to do something else," Kristen Sullivan said.

That's where the idea to make homemade salsa and sell it came in.

Tyler used his dad's recipe, picked peppers from his yard, and started whipping together small batches of what's now known as Sully's Slammin' Fresh Salsa.

"In a week I got like $250, and I handed it to my mom. She was in shock. She said ‘I don’t know what to say,' but she gave me all my electronics back, and I was super happy," Tyler Sullivan said.

That small-batch salsa quickly turned into something bigger. The Sullivans eventually outgrew their kitchen. They got a business license and partnered with a co-packer who now makes the salsa in bigger batches.

They now sell jars at metro Atlanta stores and farmer's markets.  

"It's been a crazy wild adventure. If you had told me three years ago that I would be the salsa queen of Roswell … everybody knows our family as the salsa people," Kristen Sullivan said.

The family made $25,000 in sales in their first year. This year, they're on track to hit $50,000.

They now ship the salsa across the country and are the winners of the title of the best salsa in the state of Georgia.

"It's been an awesome experience. It's really bonded us over the last three years," Kristen Sullivan said.

The family says their goal is to get their salsa sold in high-end grocery stores.

They even almost made it on "Shark Tank"  two years ago, but were cut right before they were set to fly to Los Angeles.

You can check out all the flavors and buy Sully's Slammin' Fresh Salsa on the family's website.